MORE than a third of the 60,000 high-skilled semiconductor workers the country needs by 2030 have been trained, says the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry.
As of June this year, the number of trained individuals reached 21,391, an increase from 18,062 last year, according to the report.
“Malaysia’s position in the global semiconductor chain today is focused on traditional back-end activities, such as chip testing and packaging, which generate low added value.
“We are still dependent on technology and intellectual property owned by multinational companies,” it said in a written reply to Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PN-Kemaman).
The ministry said being a major production location did not guarantee the nation’s self-reliance in the long run.
As such, the ministry said it was developing a mechanism to match local intellectual property owners with industry players and investors.
This included introducing training programmes and career paths to curb brain drain in the sector, it added.
Meanwhile, the ministry identified 13 local companies as candidates for its “10+100” local champions target.
Under the target, at least 10 companies would generate annual earnings of between RM1bil and RM4.7bil, while 100 local companies would earn about RM1bil annually.
The ministry said it was supporting the Malaysia Advanced Packaging Consortium, which involves five local companies, while the MyChipStart and SemiconStart programmes support local chip design firms.
Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim cited 13 homegrown firms as potential national champions.
